He’s been called “a soul-stirring maestro” (Jill Lawson, Huffington Post) whose mesmerizing melodies the Charlottesville Weekly found “akin to the Aurora Borealis for your ears.”
Singer/songwriter Matt Venuti‘s innovative ambient fusion music has captivated audiences around the world. With his band the Venusians, Matt’s cutting-edge sound combines the traditional (piano, organ and drums) and the global (electric sitar, African harp) with unique electronic and percussion instruments. Case in point, the Electronic Valve Instrument, or “EVI”, a wind-synthesizer with a trumpet-like interface.
Matt often accompanies himself on the Hang (pronounced “hung”), a melodic percussive instrument created in 2000 by Swiss artists Felix Rohner and Sabina Scharer of PANArt. Reminiscent of a miniature flying saucer, the Hang consists of two high-quality steel half-shells. The “ding” side has a center ding note surrounded by eight tone fields. “Hang” translates to “hand” in Swiss-German, and the Hang is played with the palm, thumb and fingertips. Matt has also performed with several other of PANArt’s creations, the Gubal, the Gudu and the Hang Gu.
Their global-instrumental style has made Matt Venuti and the Venusians a favorite of the Silicon Valley crowd, playing for events at Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and Apple. Matt opened the TEDx Marin 2017 conference with a solo EVI performance. With a self-described sound of “something you might hear from the Star Wars Cantina Band”, the Venusians were hired by George Lucas to perform for his Star Wars Gala Event. Matt’s album Rhythm of Life features nine original songs as well as Matt’s version of Bill Withers’ Lean on Me. The album debuted at #6 of the Zone Music Reporter’s Top 100 list.
Matt Venuti and the Venusians perform in venues from gala events to intimate gatherings, and in combinations from solo to six pieces. Listen below for a sample of their performances, and contact us to learn more.
